Brothers

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Clifton Collins, Jr., Sam Shepard, Mare Winningham, Bailee Madison, Taylor Geare, Carey Mulligan, Ethan Suplee
Directed by: Jim Sheridan
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller, War
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An army captain (Tobey Maguire) has to leave his family behind to go to Afghanistan. He says goodbye to his wife (Natalie Portman), daughters (Bailee Madison, Taylor Geare), and his troubled brother (Jake Gyllenhaal), who recently got out of jail. A short time later, his family is told that he was killed in action. As his wife grieves, his brother begins playing an increasingly large role in his family's life, and getting dangerously close to his brother's wife. When it is discovered that he is in fact, still alive, and returns home, problems begin to arise.

Review:

Tim: In many ways, I am thankful for Brothers. Before I watched this, I was pretty tired of Iraq/Afghanistan movies. Sure, there were a few that emerged as classics (The Hurt Locker), but most were just redundant. However, this film reminded me of the power of these movies. Films often reflect the mood and aura of a nation at the time they are produced. The United States is still dealing with the ramifications of the Wars on Terror, and we need movies like this. Brothers reminded me of the pain families feel when their loved ones are killed overseas, and also of how many families are shattered when their loved ones return home- broken and a shell of their former selves. This is a powerful movie, and an important one.

The biggest reason to see this movie, however, is the cast. The film assembles an incredible cast, all of whom deliver exceptional performances. Tobey Maguire had a great opportunity to do a number of different things. He is believable and likeable as a family man. He then is transformed and numbed when he is held in captivity. This is where Maguire really shines. I thought he was excellent in these scenes. Finally, once he returns home, we are shocked by how much he has changed. Maguire embraces these wild shifts in behavior, yet he also makes them perfectly believable. This is impressive.

I really, really like Jake Gyllenhaal. I think he is one of the best young actors in Hollywood today. He was fantastic here. Gyllenhaal starts out troubled and fairly unlikeable. He has some charisma, but compared to his achieving, family-oriented older brother, he appears a disappointment. However, as the movie goes on (and this is amazing), Gyllenhaal slowly becomes more and more likeable, to the point where we are actually rooting for him, rather than Maguire. I was blown away by how director Jim Sheridan expertly let this transformation take place in very slow, almost imperceptible ways. Gyllenhaal is simply tremendous in this movie. As much as I liked him prior to this movie, I liked him even more afterwards.

The rest of the cast is good, too. Natalie Portman was absolutely the right choice to play the wife. She is very good with Maguire- they seem like a normal, real-life family. However, she also has a good deal of chemistry with Gyllenhaal. I wondered how this story would appear believable- how could a woman in love with one man start to grow close to his brother? This works because of Portman's performance. You absolutely believe all of the events because of her terrific acting talent. She works well with both actors, and holds this movie together.

The most exciting aspect of this movie is the chance to watch Gyllenhaal, Maguire, and Portman- three of the most talented young actors today- interacting together around an emotional, powerful story. I really, really enjoyed this movie because of these three actors. I bought into the characters, the story, and the emotions present. This movie surprised me in many ways. I was engaged and I didn't want the movie to end.

Brothers is a powerful and entertaining movie about an important topic. I highly recommend it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, even if I wasn't completely sold going in. The most important thing I am leaving this movie with is a newfound respect for Gyllenhaal, Maguire, and Portman. This movie raised their stock even higher in my book.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Rendition, The Kingdom, The Hurt Locker, The Professional, Seabiscuit, The Good German